


I'm Worse, Doctor

by sama1347



Category: Doctor Strange (2016)
Genre: Blue has had a shit life, Eventual Romance, M/M, Magical Artifacts, Master of Mystic Arts, Original Character(s), Sorcerers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:08:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21629611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sama1347/pseuds/sama1347
Summary: The life of Stephen Strange had gone smooth to a point - only to seriously fall off the rails. Even then, his venture in a new world had made him someone different but in the eyes of many, a better man.For every good man, there is someone better. "He" knew it, and the Doctor was about to find out just how out-matched he could be.-- Set after Doctor Strange
Relationships: Stephen Strange/Original Character(s), Stephen Strange/Original Male Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. 1. Bad Cat

The winter air was cold and crisp, promising snow in the near future. New York never changed, and that's why Blue hated it. As a puddle splashed its grimy water over the hems of his jeans he heaved a heavy sigh.

"Fucking wizards better be home," the man groaned as he looked around the busy streets, slightly lost.

Blue was looking for the New York Sanctum, where it's current Master Stephen Strange was. Blue had been hunting for a damned book that was under his nose the whole time. Now, who should have it but the most praised Master of Mystic Arts since the Ancient One.

Hell, Blue was but a damn memory of the order. Scratched off the books as soon as he made it as an official master.

The blue-haired man scratched his stubble as he glanced up at the sky. The Sanctum was supposed to be here, it felt here. He couldn't figure out what was missing here. Until he saw it, the door he was looking for. So blended into the city that if it didn't have slight magical pull, he wouldn't have found it nearly as easy.

Opting to wait for the evening, Blue transmuted himself into a cat - a Russian Blue cat. The tomcat found himself a small spot against the building across the street and pretended to nap as it watched the afternoon go by.

After the night fell and the moon had long since risen, Blue decided to see if he could still match his former skills as lying low had its downfalls. As a cat, Blue made his way inside using the method of teleportation. To his luck, the building seemed rather silent as he hoped it would at one in the morning.

The storied building had multiple relics worthy of mention stored inside, Strange held the power over two unsurprisingly. The Eye of Agamotto and the Cloak of Levitation. His pride and joy.

Blue quietly padded up the stairs, mindful even in cat form to not make any noise. Though the cat senses actually were a plus, able to see and hear better on a mission to steal was always beneficial.

Blue walked for quite the while, trying door after door until he finally found the library. Almost at wit's end with how long this was taking, Blue almost turned into his usual form before he realized the risks and sighed.

"Fucking books," he groaned as he glanced up at the multiple towering shelves.

Blue had tirelessly looked along two entire shelves before he heard the slightest of creaks. The noise was hardly audible. Quickly on alert, he glanced in the direction he heard the noise. Nothing. He glanced around nothing.

He let out a sound of feline annoyance before something bowled him over. Tumbling and taken by surprise, Blue was soon caught up in a bundle. The bundle seemed to have him suspended in the air and he could feel himself being moved - the action was far too fluid for a human to be carrying him, however, the Cloak of Levitation might just be his capture.

Too scared to risk speaking, Blue took his time and remained as a cat. Perhaps there was a good outcome that involved a stray been let out onto the streets.

Blue wasn't sure how long he was suspended in the air before his ride became a tad bumpy. The familiar creak of a door meant he was going somewhere.

There was a muffled slapping sound before a groan of annoyance. Nothing happened. There were wild movements before there was a noticeable light source in the room and a heavy thump.

Blue remained still and quiet before some of the Cloak moved. The light was slightly blinding but what scared the hell out of Blue was the fact Stephen Strange was glancing down at him with the most unamused look he had seen on a man. Though his grey eyes did light up slightly at the sight of a cat.

"A cat? You woke me up at three in the morning for a cat in the Sanctum?" Strange asked with sheer irritation.

There seemed to be a moment of an argument between the Cloak and Strange before Blue was tossed at Strange. With a hiss of panic and shock, Blue let his claws out and caught Strange's hand and he attempted to flee the scene.

Of course, Strange let out a loud yelp of surprise and slight pain at the scratch before trying to follow Blue. Just as he reached the door, the Cloak slammed it shut on that cats face.

Howling with distress, Blue ran under the first thing he could. Strange's bed. If today could get any weirder or worse, Blue wasn't open to the world's path for him.

Strange peered at him from under the bed before groaning.

"It's just a cat! Admittedly, I don't know how it got here but what can a cat do?!" Strange glared at the Cloak.

At least the neurosurgeon was dumb as soon as he was awoken from his sleep. Apparently, the calamity had woken someone else up, and it was the person Blue had hoped to remove from the equation. Blue had to make one choice, did he teleport home or to the library? Either way, one would make this trip worthwhile but would likely result in his capture. Master Wong, the former librarian of Kamar-Taj, peered across at Blue with a scrunched up expression.

"Blue?" Wong question before realising somewhat the situation.

"Fuck," Blue yelped before teleporting to the library.

Landing heavily in human form with the use of magic on his side now, Blue was able to scan the books until the two Masters and the Cloak appeared at his side with attacks. Quickly bringing up Eldritch shields, Blue caught Strange off guard but Wong knocked him on his arse. With a burst of magic, Blue sent a shockwave through the room. Unable to find the text he had came for, Blue decided to count his time as wasted and return back home.

He vanished with a small fizz, leaving the two men irritated and confused at the ungodly hour.

"Who was that?" Strange asked Wong as the room slowly started to fix itself.

"That was, as we knew him, Blue A Master who was banned from Kamar-Taj two days after your arrival," Wong answered slowly, with a glance around the room.

"Banned? Why was he banned?"

"Only the Ancient One knew, but we still are not permitted to let Blue anywhere near the Sanctums or Kamar-Taj."

"Odd," Strange mused.

**⌿⌯⌘⌯⍀**

"Azul, you fool, where have you been?"

Blue didn't expect a lecture as soon as his arse teleported back to his home.

"Grandmama, you must see I was out looking for-"

"Nonsense, Azul, you have Nietos to be looking after!" The elderly woman scolded.

"Grandmama, why do you help him? He comes by once every month to see his children, his children! Not yours, his responsibility!" Blue softly growled.

He wasn't angry at the woman, just the situation and how he was roped in. Grandmama Rosa was a woman in her 60s looking after her son's two children, Aleixo and Ana. The kids were the ages of ten and six, a boy and a girl that took after their father. Then there was their father, Antonio Ladera. Ladera was someone who had a fixation with magic but was unable to use it, that's how Blue entered their lives.

"Enough, you leave Antonio alone, after all, he did help you. You owe him," Rosa scolded.

"That was a year ago, Grandmama, he doesn't see his family anymore. I worry his mind is in the wrong place-" Blue was cut off by a slap.

He had forgotten that Rosa liked to slap people when they were being disrespectful.

"I'm sorry, Grandmama, but things are getting worse."

Blue sighed before heading downstairs to find Aleixo and Ana. The two kids were in the living room doing their own separate things. Aleixo was watching a superhero show on tv while Ana was reading.

"Hello, Al, Ana," Blue greeted.

"Blue!" Ana cheered and ran up to hug him while Aleixo merely waved.

"How've you two been?"

"Good," the two answered.

"Papa came home yesterday, he gave me this!" Ana grinned as she showed Blue a necklace.

Recognising the pattern on the necklace, Blue frowned. It seemed that Ladera was looking into more types of magic, this being Norse mythology.

"Aha, your Papa found a nice one didn't he?" Blue smiled despite his thoughts.

Ana beamed as she made a gesture to be picked up. Aleixo was watching the two as Blue heaved her up onto his shoulders.

"You've got a lot of dust on you," Aleixo commented.

"Yes, my job as a maid didn't work out very well," Blue smirked as Ana giggled.

"Go clean up, Papa wanted to see you. He's in his workshop," Aleixo said as he turned back around.

"He's still here?"

Blue wasn't met with an answer as Ana made her way off his shoulders. The two children remained silent, allowing Blue to remove himself from the room.

Talking Aleixo's advice, Blue got went to his room to get changed only to see Ladera sitting on his bed looking over books.

"Blue, it's been a while," Ladera smiled, a dark tone lacing his deep voice.

"Ladera, how have you been?" Blue asked as the tension started to grow in the room.

"Good, walk with me," Ladera requested as he slipped an arm over Blue's shoulder. 

Blue didn't answer as he walked with Ladera, the silence between the two seemed to hold a lot of unspoken words which Blue supposed it did. He had so much he wanted to say to Ladera, so much he couldn't. Eventually, the two ended up at a workshop out round the back of the house. The house itself was in a small city in Idaho. It connected right to a mass of forestry that Ladera had used for his magical fuck-ups in the past.

"What're we doing out here?" Blue asked with a frown.

"You lied to me, you said you were done with forgery, with magic," Ladera scowled. 

"I am, it's your petty arse that won't let go- I mean really, Norse Mythology? Are you going to ask the Avengers to take you to Asgard next?!" Blue hissed.

"There is nothing wrong with a little history check, have you seen Mjölnir? Thor's hammer is amazing! Forged by the power of a star, could you imagine what power we could have with weapons like that?" Ladera grinned.

"Need I remind you, that power is not meant for humans. It is meant for the Gods, like Thor." 

"That is why we need it, so as to defend our planet from people like Thor and Loki. Remember the New York attack, how outmatched we were!"

"Need I remind you I lived in Detriot at the time, that attack was nothing short of crazy even for someone like me. It was four years ago, even that Ultron shit happened, go make weapons to fight out sciences and focus less on the intergalactic image. Please," Blue frowned.

"What a waste of potential that would be. Have you no longing to be considered powerful? To be a god?"

"No, quite frankly what I know now is enough for my lifetime," Blue responded with a glare.

Ladera frowned as he circled Blue, taking in his appearance.

"You no longer live for anything but my family. You are less now than how I found you, washed up, abandoned and hurt. You craved strength at the time and I gave it to you. But, now? Now you want nothing to do with me. Even after everything we've done. Even after you-"

"Enough!" Blue lashed out, a small wave of magical energy stirred the foresty. 

"I have no more involvement in your schemes for mass power, it's maddening how much you crave magic and that which no human is meant to have," Blue fumed, his body rigid with rage.

Before Blue knew what was happening, he was flat on his arse with Ladera standing over him. A sword in hand, the weapon held many magical marking and radiated broken magic.

"What have you done?" Blue muttered as he pushed himself up. 

"I created something no normal human could, I will be no match to any mortal by the end of this," Ladera grinned with a wild look in his eyes.

"Then you are dead to me Antonio, you are no longer the man I once knew. Power has made you evil, and I will not stand for it."

"Is that how it is? I wield power like you now you call me evil, mad and what - you can roam free as nothing happened?" Ladera lit up with rage.

"Goodbye, Antonio," Blue sighed before teleporting away.


	2. 2. Magic Sucks

After Blue caught sight of what Ladera was planning to do with the harnessing of magic into weapons... Blue didn't know who he could go to. In any other circumstance, he'd probably go to Strange but he didn't seem a good option.

So he fled.

Like a coward.

Blue fled right to one of the more desolated places he could find. He drunk his guilt away and vented his anger through his previous downfall.

Blue had never had much luck, parents and family died when he was but a child. His teen years found him in a gang and his young adult years were spent running from it. Kamar-Taj found him, then he was left running again. Around that time he found Ladera - his escape and his home. His friend with his benefits.

Then there was the mention of magic.

The magic that had both freed and cursed Blue.

It was all Ladera and fucking magic that had ended up leading to Blue sitting in a run-down bar in a quiet town in New Zealand.

The locals chatted happily, leaving Blue on his lonesome as he took another swig from his glass.

A rugby game was playing on a flat screen at the back where a group had gathered to cheer on one of the teams. Blue mindlessly watched the group until the bartender came up to him.

"You've been in here for the last few days straight, you live 'round here?" The woman asked as she tried to make conversation.

"I suppose, I'm more of a backpacker but this town is... quaint."

"That's one way of saying it's small," the woman snorted with a grin.

With a raised eyebrow, Blue observed the woman. Her brown hair was in a messy bun, her skin tan with round hazel eyes. She wore light makeup and the standard black uniform for a bartender. Her nametag read Amanda.

"Your name's Amanda?" Blue asked.

"That's what the tag says, isn't it? Anyways, if you feel up to it you should talk to the locals more. You look sad sitting over here by yourself."

Blue didn't answer, he just let out a small sigh with a grin. His amusement was out of the irony of the situation. Someone telling him to have a good time when he's letting a madman on the loose.

"Say, Amanda," Blue called her back.

"What if I'm sad because my ex-boyfriend is one of those villains you see people like the Avengers fight?" Blue asked with a blank face.

"If you're not pulling my leg, I'd suggest leaving the ex and moving the hell on," Amanda shrugged.

"Even if I owe him?"

"Depends, if it's legal money then at least work that out. Anything emotional could just be used as a form of blackmail. Be careful... I hope the relationship wasn't a bad one..." Amanda seemed to worry about the possibilities.

"It wasn't abusive if that's where your mind went, he has a family that forces me to remain in touch," Blue shrugged.

"Ah, that's a tricky one..." Amanda looked off to the side awkwardly.

"Thanks for the time, it's been a while since I last spoke to anyone about that."

"No worries," Amanda offered a small smile before turning back to her customers.

Blue sighed and buried his head in his arms. Here he was sitting in a bar in a quaint town while his ex-boyfriend was planning to steal half of the world's magic and likely blow some things up. And normal people thought their ex's sucked.

A raven flew up outside the bar, unceremoniously smacking its head into the window causing the pane to rattle.

"Oh for fuck's sake, it's been a year you shitty bird," Blue groaned as he downed the last of his drink.

Still grumbling, he made his way outside where the bird screeched before transfiguring and wrapping itself up and around Blue's left arm.

When it stopped and came to a rest, Blue had intricate small black chains winding up his arm. The tattoos on his arm warped around the chains, once again alive.

"Over a year and now you return when I'm half pissed trying to run," Blue fell back against the building's walls.

"Fucking magic."

Blue frowned as he was reunited with the magic artefact. The damned thing had caused him so much trouble in the past and with it back... things seemed to be looking down. At the very least, Blue had yet to see Strange or Wong again, even if he wouldn't have minded looking into Strange's tired grey eyes again. Blue could feel the artefact on his arm tighten at the thought which caused him to roll his eyes.

Said artefact was quite the piece of work having been forged by Kaecilius' order years prior to his turning, influenced by dark magic and otherworldly influence it was deemed forbidden... Until Blue stumbled across it in his training. The Chains of Shadows is its name, something oh so creatively named by the ancient forger Zilon Zajik. That was the main no one trusted Blue. That and Kaecilius was a friend of his for a while.

With the Chain back in his position, Blue decided to take a peak as to what Ladera was currently planning. Blue was confused when his mind's vision stared right into Stange's grey eyes and Blue remembered his mistake in using the Chain. It was a prick in the truest form. Reading into desires and one's truest thoughts were what the chains did, or amplified. Apparently Blue was risking his arse by testing these but he found Strange's eyes to be captivating.

The only problem was that Strange was cunning, he sensed something watching him and instantaneously locked eyes with Blue - not knowing it was Blue - and frowned before Blue fleed.

Able to see what was in front of his face again, Blue panicked. He bolted for the treeline across the road and transformed into his prefered cat form. Blue watched nervously as within two minutes, Stephen Strange was standing where he stood. Strange looked around, narrowing his eyes at the bar and the treeline Blue was hiding in. He turned away from the trees and walked inside the bar as he cast an illusion over his robes. Blue took this as his minute to flee but to where? Blue still had his home in Detroit but it was a very unwelcoming place to go with many bad memories.

Blue made himself human again, the horrible orange light of a streetlight slightly blinded him as it flickered above his head. The shadows hid him well as a cat but as a human, he was easy to spot. Strange noticed this with a smirk as he caught sight of the man from the window inside.

"Amanda seems nice," Strange suddenly commented from behind Blue.

The man went white with shock before falling over. As Blue got a mouthful of bush that unsurprisingly tasted akin to piss, Strange took a moment to sigh at the man.

"You, a threat to anyone?"

"Despite the piss in my mouth, you and I are similar in many ways Strange," Blue commented as he spat off to the side and stood up.

"Charming, I want to know what you just did and why?"

"What do you mean?" Blue asked, subtly making sure the chains were hidden.

"I mean that you were spying on me using the mirror dimension," Strange stated with a frown.

"No, not quite," Blue mused.

Before anything else could be said, Strange had quickly trapped Blue in a mass of magic energy. Trapped by the orange cords woven around him, Blue stumbled to the side where Strange opened a portal to which Blue fell through. Blue hit a hard wooden ground with a slam before Strange, or his shoes appeared in his line of vision.

"What were you doing here a week ago?" Strange asked, his face rather passive for the situation.

Blue merely glanced up at the man as he lay on the ground. The two entered a staring contest until Wong walked into the room, announcing himself before he saw Blue.

"Stephen, where did you- Blue?" Wong raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, this one I caught spying on me," Strange responded while Wong pulled a face.

"I wasn't spying! I was-" "What's on your arm?" Wong cut Blue off.

The Chains peaked out from the cuff of Blue's coat. The room went silent as Wong bent down to peer at them. Blue tried wiggling away but found himself truly stuck in place. Wong looked on for a moment before quickly flinching back.

"The Chains of Shadows? I thought they vanished- the Ancient One took them from you!" Wong frowned at Blue.

"Yeah, I know. Fucking artefacts pick their users and I got stuck with a stubborn arse-" Blue cut off with a yell as the Chains tightened painfully around his arm.

"What're the Chains of Shadows?" Strange quickly asked Wong.

"They amplify magical abilities, dark magic and otherworldly influence."

"Chains do all that? I never heard of them," Strange frowned.

"Kaecilius ordered everything about them to be destroyed in his attack, fuck knows why," Blue hiss out as he was still in pain.

The chains gave one final squeeze before glowing a bright orange, Blue fought to keep a scream in as the chains burned and charred his flesh. When the chains started to burn through his shirt and moved to curl along his torso, Blue was unable to keep his yells in at the unimaginable pain. Strange and Wong were freaking out, the panic was written all over their faces as Blue was in immense pain. After a few moments, the chains started to fade before they vanished. Blue was left heaving, wounded and feeling nauseous from the pain.

Wong moved quickly and as Blue wasn't fighting, he quickly fell unconscious under Wong's control.

"What are you doing?" Strange asked.

"No matter who he is, I won't let him suffer after such wounds," Wong stated as he made Blue levitate.

"Even someone banned by the Ancient One?"

Wong didn't answer but gave Strange a pointed look.

"What happened to the chains? Did they just vanish?" Strange pondered as Blue was taken away.

Blue was stuck in a dreamless sleep as Wong tried to heal the burns. After a full day of research and trying, Wong decided to call it. Those wounds weren't healing with magic. Blue's mind was impenetrable in its current state, blocked by chains and darkness that caused Wong to break out in goosebumps whenever he tried to get into his mind.

Strange spent most of his time trying to gather information on Blue and the Chains of Shadows, having more luck finding old personal records of Blue's criminal history. The more Strange found out about Blue the more he wondered why the Ancient One allowed him to train at all. 

As the days went by, Blue remained unconscious and no answers as to what happened ever prevailed. Strange was contemplating asking the other Master on the matter but after some thought with Wong, the two decided to keep quiet. While all this was happening, there were odd signs of magic popping up all over the show. The Avengers, or what remained of them took action, noting that the suspects vanished before they could be captured. Nothing that was going on made sense as no loose ends met up - asides from Blue's mystery. Blue seemed to hold more answers than what neither Strange or Wong had assumed. 

The one thing Strange did find out about Blue was his past involvement with a cruel gang that committed mafia-like activities that were still active to this day. The Reapers - an Italian-American mafia gang. They specialised in everything that made Strange look at Blue differently. From trafficking to assassination, to even the smallest issue of supplying drugs this group did it all and Blue grew up with them. 

Strange had no idea how to process the idea of the wounded man having blood on his hands or innocent lives wasted due to the group's actions. To Strange, this was the pressing issue - more so than some damn artefact that had clearly chosen who would wield it. A dark artefact in the hands of a murderer broke almost every rule and moral Strange knew about. So how did Blue end up training and becoming a Master in the Mystic Arts? 

Only three people knew the answer and two of them were dead. What in the hell did Blue breaking in means for the two sorcerers? 


End file.
